Draumkvedet
Sign in to save"Draumkvedet" (; NMB 54, TSB B 31) is a Norwegian visionary poem, probably dated from the late medieval age. It is one of the best known medieval ballads in Norway. The first written versions are from Lårdal Municipality and Kviteseid Municipality in Telemark in the 1840s.
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Encyclopedic overview
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- Musical Settings
- Other adaptations
- Recordings
- See also
- References
"Draumkvedet" (; NMB 54, TSB B 31) is a Norwegian visionary poem, probably dated from the late medieval age. It is one of the best known medieval ballads in Norway. The first written versions are from Lårdal Municipality and Kviteseid Municipality in Telemark in the 1840s.
The protagonist, Olav Åsteson, falls asleep on Christmas Eve and sleeps until the thirteenth day of Christmas. Then he wakes, and rides to church to recount his dreams to the congregation, about his journey through the afterlife. The events are in part similar to other medieval ballads like the Lyke Wake Dirge: a moor of thorns, a tall bridge, and a black fire. After these, the protagonist is also allowed to see Hell and some of Heaven. The poem concludes with specific advice of charity and compassion, to avoid the various trials of the afterlife.
Excerpted from Wikipedia’s “Draumkvedet” article, available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 licence.